Queensland, Australia is Allowing License Plates With Emojis | Digital Trends

March 11, 2019March 10, 2019 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Typically, the amount of personalization that you squeeze out of your license plate is entirely dependent on how clever you can get with seven or eight characters. That’s about to change for residents of Queensland, Australia. Starting March 1, the state will give people a wealth of new ways to customize their license plate, including the ability to add an emoji.

Personalised Plates Queensland, the official license plate vendor of Queensland, Australia, had decided to give the current license plate options a modern update that makes the plates reflect what you’d find in a person’s text messages. Drivers will be able to choose from five different emojis. The options include the face-with-tears-of-joy (or crying laughing) emoji, sunglasses emoji, winking emoji, smiling emoji, and heart-eyes emoji. If you were hoping to slap an eggplant or other potentially suggestive emoji on your license plate, you’re out of luck for the time being.

Um, why am I being targeted with Australian anti-refugee ads on Facebook? | Mashable

November 14, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Those “No Way: You will not make Australia home,” campaign ads from the country’s government have made it to Facebook, and they’re targeting…Australians.

Earlier in the week, the government proposed a lifetime ban on refugees who arrive by boat. Now, some Australians are being served the same anti-immigration campaign as people in other parts of the world are seeing. Including myself.

The anti-immigration ads have been around since 2014, aiming to deter would-be asylum seekers from making their way to Australia by boat.

They’ve been translated into 16 different languages, including Tamil, Arabic and Vietnamese. The format has even been copied by far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders.

I have a Vietnamese background, but as someone born and raised in Australia, I’m not really sure why I’m being served the ads.

It’s officially legal to grow medicinal marijuana in Australia | Mashable

October 31, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The benefits of medicinal marijuana have been extolled by United States residents for a while, and now it’s Australia’s turn.

After passing legislation in February, this Sunday saw the Narcotic Drugs Amendment Bill 2016 come into being. This means people or organisations in Australia are now able to apply for a license to cultivate and manufacture medical cannabis in Australia.

How does one apply? (We hear you asking.) Well don’t get too excited, recreational weed-smokers. The Office of Drug Control will accept applications for cannabis cultivation from people deemed “fit and proper.”

Interested people and businesses will have to pass a security test set by the office, and show the proposed location they’d be growing medicinal marijuana in, to ensure it’s not shady (metaphorically, and perhaps literally).

Domino’s pizza delivery robot is hot and autonomous | Mashable

March 21, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Domino’s, thy name is innovation.

Just months after announcing a pizza delivery truck with built-in heaters, the pizza purveyor is upping the ante with the world’s first pizza delivery robot.

The company’s Australian arm announced plans to deploy a Domino Robotic Unit (DRU). Essentially an autonomous vehicle, DRU can, according to Domino’s, follow a map, navigate sidewalks, avoid obstacles and keep your pizza hot and fresh while delivering it to your front door.

It will even come bearing cold drinks.